| Abstract |
The objective of the RAMFLOOD project is to develop a web based decision support system for assist public administration and emergency services in the risk assessment and management of floods.
Floods can lead to important environmental emergency situations affecting the integrity of large infrastructures and the life of many human beings. There is a need for efficient systems to assist public administrators and emergency services in the risk assessment of floods and in the management of different emergency scenarios in the floodplain area.
Modern day satellite information about the land surface terrain properties and meteo processes, combined with on-site information from traditional surveys and sensors, is the basis for regional-scale hydrologic modelling. The devastating impacts of recent severe floods [Bumsted, 1997; Clark et al., 1997, Smith and Ward, 2000] has sparked interest in the regional hydrologic modelling in different countries worldwide. As part of the current modelling effort, maps of the hydrologic properties of the soils of the region can be developed using databases populated with data from various remote and on-site sensors. Such maps can be used with process-based models of the land surface to provide information to decision makers regarding the likelihood of floods and the design of different emergency scenarios.
The objective of the project is to develop and validate a new decision support system (DSS) for the risk assessment and management of emergency scenarios due to severe floods. The DSS will combine environmental and geo-physical data from earth observation, satellite positioning systems, in-situ sensors and geo-referenced information with advanced computer simulation and graphical visualisation methods for generating knowledge contributing to the risk and damage assessment prevention of floods and the design of effective response actions maximising the safety of infrastructures and human life. |
